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Parents like to see the notes that we prepare to govern our classroom day. Please ask in person if you have questions, and enjoy following along with us through these notes. We will no longer send home “per child” notices beginning August 27, 2018. Thanks!

If there are any additional article topics you are looking for, please ask any Cortland teacher for advice and resources—keep in mind, we have an excellent lending library for Cortland families, and are happy to search for a title that best suits the need. Hugs to all and thanks for a great autumn full of social / emotional and physical growth, development and achievement!

We are delighted to bring you a new parent written article from Cortland Preschool Dad, Bryan Heidel. A very worthwhile read. –Ms. Amy
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Social Emotional Learning (SEL) is a fairly new concept. At least in the way that it is currently being viewed. SEL is the process in which children and adults learn skills associated with conflict management, emotional regulation, and social skills. It is well accepted that SEL is important in the development of children, but traditionally has been thought of as an activity for children who have deficits in social functioning or emotional management, and that most children just naturally develop emotionally without explicit practice. Actually, these “soft” skills are not much different from other academic skills — they can be developed through small practices that help children to exercise their emotional awareness.

When we begin practicing and learning about emotions at an early age, the building blocks for pro-social development are strengthened and cemented, allowing for children to learn more difficult skills at a later age. Plus, simply put, who wouldn’t want a child to have a better understanding of their own emotions?

Below, I have outlined a few simple strategies to begin developing social emotional skills with children at any age:

These are great because they have the markings to play Uno, Go Fish, and any other card games. With very young children you can play memory. When they pull a card that has a particular feeling, you can have them describe a time that they saw someone else feel that way. This is an early way to help children develop an understanding of feelings in other people, reading body language, and ultimately empathy. This is also an important tool in building emotional vocabulary and personal feelings. The uses of these cards are endless, and children love them.

2) Highs and Lows –

This very simple game with a variety of different names is very simple to play. Each person shares the best part of their week/day/hour, and then they share the hardest part of their week/day/hour. There is a lot of modeling occurring in this conversational game. Mostly though, you are opening up space to discuss feelings that are uncomfortable or hard, and allowing children to process those feelings. It’s okay to be angry or frustrated or upset, and that in any normal day, we will all experience a range of emotions.

I love the book “My Many Colored Days” by Dr. Seuss. It serves a similar function as highs and lows do, but has many more elements of learning. By reading stories that explicitly teach children about feelings, social interactions, and other important skills like resilience, making mistakes, etc. we take an active role in working on skills that we want to develop in children. There is literally a dozen books for any particular subject that you would want to address with a child.

Calm down and mindfulness activities are important for young children to not only learn how to regulate their emotions, but also to connect their feelings to body sensations. Being able to identify the way feelings affect your body is an important skill in regulating your emotions. I linked a site that has some free printables, but the star breathing visual is one of my favorites.

Of course, there are tons of different activities that you can use to facilitate emotional growth in children that range from board games to television programming and art activities. The main thing is that we are deliberate about the learning that we engage children in, and more so, that we value SEL and understand the importance that it plays in our children’s’ lives.

Bryan Heidel
Student Support Manager
Communities In Schools of Chicago

In early March, we met again for our intrepid Cortland Book Club. A few years ago, we figured out that our book clubs needed to center around participating in meaningful ways without having to commit time to reading a lengthy book. We do this through articles, experience, and topics that are close to home, for example, sharing your child’s favorite non-fiction picture book, or having a special theme for the night.

Cortland parents requested a “Tech Book Club”, so we went ahead with the theme of “All Things Tech-y” for our March meet.

It was important for all of us to define together what “tech” actually meant, and we came to define it as video via television, video via computer, apps, “screen time”, and anything else that requires a device for use, i.e. a podcast or a book on cassette.

You can use your technology to learn more, she types, somewhat ironically.

That said, we earnestly discussed and respectfully shared the ways we use tech in the home and classroom. Or the ways we don’t. Cortland is known for a very thoughtful and deliberate type of parent; I appreciated that we represented a broad spectrum of both types of use and amounts of use.

Resources / recommendations from our group that are tech-driven included:
-PBS, namely Peep and Pals
-Bloom App and Bebot App, for music creation and synthesis that can grow with a child over time into something rather sophisticated
-Monkey Math App, Moose Math App, Park Math App
–EPIC App, which gives you many favorite book titles, just for the tablet instead
–Metamorphabet and Word Wagon App
–Classical Baby, which you can catch on youtube
-using calm, child-friendly videos in foreign languages to teach / reinforce bilingualism in your household
-dvd resources Linnea in Monet’s Garden, Al Jarnow’s Celestial Navigations, kinetic sculptor Arthur Ganson’s Machines (parents who have these on loan, please return to Cortland soon!)

Parents also submitted info to this cause after the Book Club event, via email, with a specific ask for CODING Apps (all the rage right now):

From Belinda Duellman
“I like the idea of sharing what online resources (apps, games, shows) people like. I’ve mentioned Peep and the Big Wide World that are short 10 min videos that have a live learning component to them at the end (on Amazon they have the learning component but the ones on youtube don’t; we still like the cartoon, though). We have also really enjoyed Cosmic Kids yoga and Scratch Garden too, which we learned from Cortland. I bet other families have similar random obscure similar apps, games or shows that it would be interesting to hear what others like because there is so much out there, it can be a bit daunting digging through to find what’s actually good and educational with value vs just commercial junk.”

From Kari Poby

“Here are a couple apps for coding for kids: Kodable (Amelie’s favorite), and Daisy the Dinosaur. The board game Robot Turtles is also great for this, but needs some adult interaction. It’s great because it can grow with their skills.

“Thanks for the info. My son likes the Scratch Jr app for coding. We also have the Robot Turtles board game.”

So, use them, don’t use them, these resources are here for you to decide for yourself and your child what is best. We use technology to supplement what is already taught in person at school, provide gross motor on rainy days, and to answer questions that we cannot answer ourselves, i.e. What does a Kookaburra‘s “laugh” sound like?!

NEXT BOOK CLUB is TBD for July or August. The theme is BYO empathy building book or resources. We will meet at Ugo’s for snacks, drinks, and good conversation. Child care and fun in pajamas for ages 2+ provided at Cortland, $5 is the suggested donation to the attending teacher. 6:00 drop off at Cortland / meet at Ugo’s – 7:30 p.m. wrap up, pick up by 7:45 p.m.

Have a tidbit to contribute? Let me know and I’ll add you to the list! director@cortlandpreschool.com

The theme of November’s book club was “favorite non-fiction picture books”–we had a great session of sharing, eating, and just talking as a community. Books shared included:
Henri’s Scissors
N.C. Wyeth’s Pilgrims
Bedtime Math
Sesame Street–We’re Different, We’re the Same

YouTube resources (search on youtube and find all of these):
–Hexaflexagons and soooo much more in a great YouTube math series by Vi Hart
–DVD Celestial Navigations by stop motion animator, Al Jarnow
–Peep and the Big Wide World
–Daniel Tiger
–Cosmic Kids Yoga

And questions regarding:
–Chicago charter schools–does anyone out there have info / insight to share?
–intrinsic motivation–what is it, how do we reinforce it, why is it important, good article here

We are currently taking ideas for our next book club meet, please share if you’ve got one!

Perhaps you’ve noticed large, white boxes with exciting contents such as world instruments, animals pelts, or crazy shoes in your child’s classroom? Maybe a beautiful stuffed owl or a bat skeleton to study?

These hands-on learning experiences are due to the wonderful Harris Learning Collection, found in the basement of the Field Museum.

My children and I are thrilled to be part of the Harris Collection pick-up. As frequent goers of all Chicago museums, an excuse to explore parts of the museum that we would not otherwise see is very exciting.

Ms. Amy had printed out a map and instructions making the whole pick-up process super easy. Always appreciated with kids in tow! There is a parking lot where you can park for free and it is nice and close to the entrance for pick-up. We went a little earlier so that we could have time to explore the museum first.

When it was time to pick-up from the Harris Collection, we went downstairs to select our items. The shelves were filled with many old artifacts, retired from the museum, that evoked a sense of wonder and excitement.

The teacher working there was so great with my children. She let them look at and touch anything. We were not rushed and she was so patient. She was genuinely happy to have children there and appreciated their interest in everything. When it was time to collect our items for Cortland, she brought out a big cart with a giant crate; the kids were so excited to look inside! She then brought out another box, and let the kids look; she explained what everything was.

We carted our treasures to the car. My son, Nikolas, was very excited and proud to bring these treasures to school the next day! I was very impressed with the museum and staff, we had a great experience. It’s a beautiful thing to provide hands-on experience to children. (It really sparks their inborn sense of wonder!) Bravo to the Harris Learning Collection and bravo to Ms. Amy for coordinating every year and bringing such a great experience to our children!

*Note: The Harris Learning Collection is now open to families, as well as learning institutions. More information on how you can visit this special place found here: http://harris.fieldmuseum.org/home.html

If you would like to volunteer to be our Fall 2016 “Field Family”, please email Ms. Amy at director@cortlandpreschool.com

A special thank you to the Anagnostopoulos Family for taking the time and energy to pick up and drop off boxes this fall and winter/early spring. We all benefit from your kindness! Kudos from your Cortland teachers

Every year, for the past four years, Cortland Preschool, with the help of Mary Artibee and Milt Mallory, our families, friends, and Cortland community members, has provided full and partial scholarships for families with financial need. Recipients are always kept confidential, but sometimes a family will opt to share a thank you with the community upon graduation.

This thank you comes from the Bosaw Family. We (Ms. Amy and Ms. Nicole) have been fortunate to know Sara Bosaw as an accomplished colleague, friend, and lover of small humans for over a decade now. We knew her son, Abel, just had to be a part of Cortland, so for two years, Abel attended on a full scholarship. Here’s what Sara has to say:

July, 2015“Our family has been blessed to be a part of the Cortland Preschool community for almost two years. It’s been a time of emotional and physical growth for Abel, as well as growth in our family size!

When Abel started, he was an only child. Within a few months of starting preschool we got a call and 7 month old baby Ricky joined us the next day. Within a year, 8 month old Amari had joined us as well. I mention this to emphasize that while there were enormous changes at home, one thing was consistent for Abel: his beloved school. All of the teachers and parents were so kind during that time, reaching out to make sure we had what we needed and making sure Abel was feeling adjusted and getting a little extra attention. He has handled these big adjustments with so much grace and I know a lot of that has to do with the support system around him.

As a single parent by choice through adoption and foster care, there are obviously a lot of careful budget decisions and sacrifices made. Abel’s schooling, thanks to a very generous scholarship from Cortland, has not had to be one of them. He has thrived at Cortland. I see a real change in his confidence and empathy toward others. Thanks to his preparation at Cortland, he is truly ready to head to his “big nest” at Kindergarten.

We are so grateful for the Cortland community for making it possible for Abel to have this experience. Thank you!”

Thank you, Cortland community, for supporting diversity in our classrooms. Thank you for caring when families need help the most. And thank you for making excellent education something for everyone, not just some. We hope you will bid in our current fundraiser, the Online Student Art Auction, which runs until November 30, 2015.

Parents will occasionally ask me, “What can I be doing at home to help my child prepare for gifted testing?” or, “What can I be doing at home to best supplement what my child is doing at Cortland?” or, “What can I be doing for the first few months of my child’s new public school environment, where he or she may be ahead of the group and bored?”

Create an environment that supports provocative learning is the best honest answer I provide. We can work toward creating an intelligently chosen, thoughtfully curated school and home environments that encourage and support higher levels of curiosity, “grit” (tenacity over time), and critical thinking. While I continue to maintain that hands-on, exploratory learning that is child-led is still the best and highest form of synaptic connection building, here are more concrete suggestions:

GET PRACTICAL, THINK LONG TERM : WORKSPACE

Home environment–Does your child have a workspace (desk or table) that supports extended work times?
Seating or standing that promotes the development of spinal strength and good posture?
Has appropriate task lighting (they all really like the clamp lamps at school and are used to working with them, IKEA, about $15.)
This space needs to allow for projects to stay out at times (create a “revisit zone” for one or two projects that your child wants to return to over many days.) Storage that your child can access and be in charge of? This area can serve building, tinkering, art, writing, science, etc. and will get your child off onto the best foot for in-home, purposeful creation, work, and exploration.

If you need help creating a child-friendly home workspace that will serve your child’s needs until graduation, talk to Ms. Amy. She has highly-skilled craftsmen as friends and might be able to make a referral.

SETTING UP EARLY LITERACY SUPPORTS

EARLY Reading–Guided Reading, which levels books AA, A, B, C, D and up based on word count, difficulty, frequency, etc. is important. We recommend Newmark Learning for a series of Math, Science, Social Studies, or Classic Tales that will pad your home library and introduce your child to the concept of the “easy” or “guided reader” in a very intelligent way.

(Note: At present, there is no standardized leveling of books for publishers–typically, they don’t like to get too specific on level because then less people will buy it. If you are uncertain of a book’s level, for example, it says Level One on the cover, check the back cover for the Guided Reading level. Not there? Check inside, the first or last few pages. Not there? Google it. “Lego City: All Hands On Deck guided reading level” for example. http://www.scholastic.com/bookwizard/ has a pretty extensive list. Still not sure? Compare the word count and difficulty with a book of the level you are looking for. If it is too hard, save it for later. Guided readers are aimed at getting your child books that set up your child’s early reading success. They should be “just right” and not be too hard or frustrating.)

READING INDEPENDENTLY PAST THE Guided Reading LEVEL J–Most children won’t be reading J and above level books until second grade, but sometimes children read really early, and read with full comprehension and enjoyment. If your child isn’t to this level yet, no worries. He or she will get here when the cognitive time is right. These are still great suggestions for your future toolkit.

Advanced readers need to keep reading for pleasure and for purpose, and find series that he or she really connects with, which sometimes takes a little time. Be patient, and try to tailor books to your child’s interests du jour. Series that children really enjoy in the classroom or during tutoring sessions include:
My First Little House–great historic fiction based on the show you and I remember http://www.booksource.com/Products/Level-J-My-First-Little-House__J-1LH-spc-12-13.aspx
Iris and Walter http://www.booksource.com/Products/Level-J-Iris-and-Walter__J-IRI-spc-12-13.aspx
Young Cam Jansen, a detective series with strong female lead http://www.booksource.com/Products/Level-J-Young-Cam-Jansen__J-YCM-spc-12-13.aspx
Jump Into Genre, a great set with lots of different fables, folktales, and classic stories, this is the second grade level but stronger readers would do fine http://www.newmarklearning.com/jump-into-genre-single-copy-set-grade-2.html

Mercy Watson Series and Bink and Golly Series (Kate DiCamillo)

SETTING UP LANGUAGE ARTS and MATH SUPPORTS
Writing and Handwriting–The Handwriting Without Tears series is (in my opinion) the best for consistency and for continuity from home to classroom. http://shopping.hwtears.com/product/MPB/HWT and http://shopping.hwtears.com/product/CH/HWT
To keep your child writing and inventing give him or her an area of the house with envelopes, cool paper and stationary, graph paper, fun pens and pencils, stickers, notebooks and journal books, post it notes, etc. Children love to create when given so many fun options. You can also get wonderful ideas from the Alphabet Glue series–you buy it, print it, and use it! Inexpensive and WONDERFUL content! http://alphabetglue.com/

Journals and diaries become important in Kindergarten and First Grade. I like writing an answer to a child’s question, and then asking a question that a child answers, back and forth, as a shared journal to start.

As much as I like to limit screen time, Khan Academy is pretty amazing for building the math skills. You’ll need to set this up and get your child going, but this is a resource that can give exponentially and over a long period of time. Try it. It’s really amazing, and many say, the very future of education.

RESOURCES:

Scratch Garden on youtube — look it up and play these short, awesome videos at home
Bedtime Math Book Series — great fun for pm students, you can get a good math lesson in any time, not just bedtime (the covers glow in the dark tho!)aMag — VERY SMART and cool architecture magazine / online resources for developing all kinds of brainy-ness
Our Facebook and blog — yep, good old Cortland Preschool’s blogsite has good stuff, you know how to find us on FacebookMenomonee Club — this not-for-profit boasts stellar instruction, fair prices, ample parking, and over 60 years of experience
Just play simple games like duck duck goose, follow the leader, parachute — play and practice the classics so that your child knows these skillsCat and Mouse Games — love this store on Armitage, near Damen, they have excellent materials and we talk often about what I want them to carry!
Kumon brand — really, any Kumon workbook is good. Sometimes kids really like workbooks.
Singapore math — again, workbooks, but these should be done with an adult. You can develop killer math skills with these.

NEW STANDARDS:

The state of Illinois Learning Standards for Language Arts, to get you started, you have to click around a bit to get the detailed list, but this takes you through all of the standards for each discipline and grade level. Knowledge is power! http://www.isbe.state.il.us/ils/ela/standards.htm

Please find attached:
Preventing Reading Difficulties — This is the full list from Latin and a wonderful checklist to mark progress through the next year, it really is more about what children should be doing and not about reading difficulties preventing_reading_difficulties
What Are Dolch Sight Words — You should read this to understand what the expectations are, again, this is age five and up, generally What are Dolch Words
Dolch Sight Words — I’ve included the entire list for you, this goes pre-k through 3rd grade Dolch_full_list

Have fun learning in as many ways as you can. Hands-on is always the way to go. One last article, this talks about how to ask better questions to develop critical thinking skills. Over and out from Ms. Amy M. Ewaldt, MAT

Examples and Measurement Tool
As a Podiatrist, and a mom of 3 adorable children under the age of 5, I am often asked questions concerning children’s shoe gear, shoe choices, and how to measure a child’s foot.

I am an advocate for barefoot walking, as long and as much as possible, before needing to stuff those cute little fat feet into shoes. But what after that?

You need to remember when choosing proper shoes for your child what sort of activity your child will be engaging in. What do you think of when you close your eyes and envision a fun-filled day of learning at Cortland? What variety of movement do you see? How comfortable and practical should your child’s feet be?

Little feet need to be protected, supported, and fitted properly. Exposed feet, loose fitting shoes, or “fancy shoes” have little place at the playground or school; flip-flops, crocs, and dress shoes should be reserved for the beach, back yard home play, and special occasions, respectively. A good athletic sneaker is your best bet for an active school-aged child.

Some brands to consider might include: Stride rite, New Balance, Saucony, and Umi. (**check websites for discounts, specials and free shipping. The best time for discounts is normally around a holiday. Try online discount websites like 6pm.com as well. Stride rite also offers some amazing sales around Black Friday! I normally order a few sizes up for my kids around that time and stock up for the upcoming season.)

Your feet are the foundation for your whole body. Proper shoe gear is important for pedal development, balance, gait, protection and muscular movement. The younger the child, the faster the feet will grow. Did you know that it is recommended for a child under the age of 3 to have their feet measured every 2-3 months for new shoes? After the age of 4, growth tends to slow down a bit, and you can typically have a pair of shoes last 6-8 months until a new pair is needed.

What to consider when purchasing new shoes for your child:
1. A child may not complain about shoes they have outgrown. If you notice a change in your child’s gait, or excessive wear pattern on the back of the shoes or inside lining, it is time for new shoes.
2. Children’s feet sweat more than adults. It is important that a child wears clean cotton socks for breathability. Canvas, leather, and other natural fabrics are better materials for shoe gear for the same purpose rather than synthetic materials. Avoid plastic shoes in little ones, as they do not breathe, cause a child’s foot to sweat more, and can cause friction rubbing and blisters.
3. If you are looking at using hand-me-down shoes, or consignment shoes, check the back heel of the shoes for wear patterns.
4. Shoes that are too small tend to cause blisters, pain, and even ingrown toe nails. Shoes that are too big can cause a child to trip over their own feet.
5. It is always best to have a child try on the shoes and check for proper fit. Make sure the back part of the shoe does not slip out while walking. Also, with the shoe on the child, make sure you have a small fingertip space from the tip of the big toe to the tip of the shoe.
6. Keep in mind when ordering on-line, that shoe sizes vary from company to company. Even with using a sizing guide, read reviews to check if a brand runs small, large, or true to size. Always have the flexibility to return and exchange a pair of shoes if necessary.

How to measure your child’s feet for those new shoes.
1. Whether at a shoe store, or at home, have your child’s feet measured at the end of the day. A person’s foot tends to swell as the day progresses, so a measurement in the morning would tend to be narrower and possibly smaller than at the end of the day.
2. When you measure your child’s foot, have them wear a normal pair of socks, to make sure you get a more accurate measurement of the bulk needed inside of the shoe gear.
3. To measure your child’s foot, have them stand with “full weight” on a sheet of paper. Make a mark at the back of the heel and a mark at the tip of the longest toe. Measure the length between the center of the heel mark and center of the toe mark.
4. Measure both feet, as normally one foot is longer. Always use the longest measurement when purchasing a size for your child’s shoe.

Remember that little ones will grow right before you in a blink of an eye. Let’s give our little ones a great foundation for growth, development, and safety by sending them off to school best-foot forward.

From Ms. Amy: This info came about from a photo that Amy Drost emailed me. I recognized the refrigerator poetry magnets that were so popular when I started college…except in this photo, they were huge, and in scale with the magnetic letters placed just below by a child’s hand. “Magic” is right, Cody! Fun learning magic. I hope you’ll enjoy this info, and thanks again to the Drost family for the great ideas.–AE

My son Cody was extremely resistant in the language arts areas for a long time, but is now really taking an interest. Here are a few things we do at home that have worked for us to jumpstart Cody’s willingness to participate in early literacy building activities. (Me again. I want to jump in and mention that these active, kinesthetic experiences help children explore when they are cognitively ready. Don’t push if your child isn’t quite there yet, just set the scene for exploration.)

Huge Magnet Board
We bought an aluminum “oil drip pan” for under $10 in the auto section, and spray painted it with chalk paint. We attached it to our wall, at toddler height, using adhesive Velcro strips (Hey there, or you can pre-drill and screw through it and into a stud.) The drip pans are about 2.5′ x 4′ so your child has a huge working area. (Mrs. Alexa did a similar project in her unused fireplace–ask her about it.)

I started by randomly choosing 5 or 6 words from the magnetic poetry tin that I thought would pique his interest and put them on the board.

We already had the magnetic letters kit and, without prompting, he began using the magnetic letters to spell the words I put on the board (see photo.)

From that point, he began asking all kinds of questions about the words, and we have started making sentences together. Lots of great conversations have started this way, and his interest in books and reading has exploded–this is a kid who almost never wanted to sit next to me and read. Now, it has become a favorite activity.

Also, after many failed attempts to get him to write, I discovered a website called www.1plus1plus1equals1.com that has really awesome printable activity packs. There is a “tot pack” and a “kindergarten pack” and they come in different themes. The theme we chose to laminate, and use (w/dry erase pen) on a daily basis is Octonauts! There are other tv show, and non-tv show themes as well. We bought our hot/cold laminator at Costco for $20 and it came with 100 thermal sheets in various sizes. It’s small and easy to store.

Another writing tool that intrigues him is a stencil board of capital letters that includes the arrow instruction for each letter. It is made by School Rite and is also available in lower case, cursive and numbers. (www.school-rite.com) We use this with laminated surfaces and dry erase pen, too.

(In closing, I think I can speak for Amy Drost when I say that it is exciting when you strike upon ideas that make your child light up and want to learn in new ways. Experimenting is key–these ideas use kinesthetic/tactile feedback to help teach a skill. What is a kinesthetic learner? Read more here!)